In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley
1849–1903

As I type this several friends are standing in line outside gaming stores across the nation. They are but a few of the now 11 million subscribers nearly pissing themselves with excitement over the release of the long-awaited expansion to the addicting MMORPG known as World of Warcraft (WoW).

At midnight tonight stores begin selling the expansion titled “Wrath of the Linch King” (WotLK). I figure after waiting in line, buying the game (Hope they pre-ordered), driving home, installing the software and slamming a few Red Bulls they will start playing around 3 a.m.

I stopped playing about WoW about two months ago because of personal reasons. The plan was to cancel the account at the end of the year but I knew if I continued through the expansion discontinuing the game would be near impossible.

For about a year I bounced around Azeroth eventually leveling a Horde fire mage (Pictured at the top of the post) to 70. The guild I was with (Hellz Angelz - Balnazzar) made the monotonous grinding to the highest level more of a social event than a goal. The interaction was something I enjoyed and true friendships were developed despite never meeting many of them in person. Of course ganking Alliance on the Isle or STV was exciting. Hell, slaughtering them by the dozen in the battlegrounds was even a form of stress relief, but ultimately it was the people behind the avatars that made the play addicting.

Even though I stopped playing I still follow the game and live vicariously through the friends that still do. I played WoW to fill a void, and now it seems quitting the game has created a new one. I simply miss the people. The game was just a medium we used to share our lives.

Emails are still tossed back-and-forth and there are even a few guildees I chat with on a daily basis via instant messenger… But it just isn’t the same.

Have fun Hellz! I’m sure I’ll hear about your latest adventures soon… FOR THE HORDE!!